Friday, 23 November 2012

Businesses want to always offer the best to their customers, whether it
is products, services, or marketing materials. This is their only way to
get loyal patrons who will be willing to invest their hard-earned money
on the business. Some will try to be as creative as they can be just to
capture peoples attention while others will offer extremely low prices.
Creativity or low prices, gaining peoples interest and loyalty will
basically depend much on how you market your business. People will often
base their decisions on how effective you are in convincing them to
invest their money on you.This will require you to establish a
tight marketing program that will let you get in touch with your target
customers successfully. With todays technology, it should be easy for
you to produce marketing materials that will suit your business. But
sometimes, you dont have to look any further in order to find the
perfect material to invest in. Some of the proven and tested old
marketing materials are still effective today as they were in the past.
Take the brochures as an example.

Tuesday, 25 September 2012

Many people completely overlook business cards when starting up their
new company, mainly due to the capabilities of social networking on the
world wide web. However, traditional networking is still a very
valuable source when looking for new customers and clients, and the best
way to network in the “real world” is by word of mouth. In most cases
family members, friends and other members of the public forget about new
start-up companies (which is unfortunate), therefore they need
something to remember you by. You guessed it: a business card.
If you want potential customers/clients to hold on to your business
card, it needs to stand out from the crowd; it needs to be something
special. This amazing compilation showcases some of the freshest
die-cutting trends used in business cards – so get your thinking cap on
and start designing your business card now. After all, it is likely the
most powerful piece of card your company will ever see.

Square-Cornered Cards

These business cards are the same size and shape of common,
standard-sized business cards but with a slight twist. The die-cutting
process has been used to cut shapes out of the business cards, making
them much more interesting and appealing.

Sunday, 9 September 2012

Are you still giving out boring business cards that look like
something your accountant designed for you? If so, maybe you should get
with the times and create a new business card for your business.
Whenever most people think about business cards, they think of a
boring and dated mode of marketing. But guess what? Creative
individuals and businesses are doing great things with business cards
these days.
In recent years, business cards have taken on a new life, with
designers and creative types pushing the limits of what we once thought a
business card should be. The right business card can act as one of
your most powerful marketing tools and can actually be fun…..if your
ready to put some creativity into it.
A great business card should provide basic information about you and
your business, but the way you present it can be as creative as you want
it to be. While some recent trends have emerged like adding QR codes
and Social Media links on business cards, these are far from unique and
will do nothing to liven up an already boring business card. With some
imagination, quality printing, and a little fun…..you can have a
business card you’re proud to hand out at your next networking event. Let’s look at some new trends in business card design that can breathe life into an old medium.

Social Media Business Cards

Whether on Facebook, Twitter or just doing a Google Search….we are
all familiar with the standard screen displays for each of these
platforms. Why not have some fun and re-create that experience on your
business card? Creative, fun and original can be used to describe cards
like these.

Saturday, 1 September 2012

What's NewOf course, some aspects of
business cards are industry-specific. What works for a photography
studio won't necessarily work for a real-estate agent. That's why it's
important to first think about the message you're trying to send. "We're
finding more and more business cards are an extension of the brand and
the personality of the company," says Rob Schlacter, VP of business
services for Staples, Inc. and head of the "Business Cards in Minutes"
program.
With that in mind, here are eight of the top trends our
experts highlighted to help your company's personality shine through
while looking professional:

Monday, 20 August 2012

Every printed project requires you to balance cost, schedule, and
quality. You can save money printing a publication by planning early,
and by accurately estimating which tasks you can accomplish, and which
tasks you would prefer to have us handle. Here is a list of some
specific items that you may want to keep in mind when developing your
project:

Your project budget may be a determining factor in the
selection of certain options such as paper, ink, and bindery. Imagine
your project at both extremes—the minimum requirement and the maximum
impact—and we’ll help you tailor your project to fit within the budget
you’ve allowed.

Your schedule will play an important part in completing your
project. We realize that schedules don’t always follow an ideal plan.
Our production team is prepared to accommodate even the most demanding
schedule.

Wednesday, 8 August 2012

Paper grade defines paper in terms of its use. Each grade
serves a purpose, usually suggested by its grade name. Below are some of
the most common classifications of printing papers.

Bond papers
are commonly used for letters and business forms. They have surfaces
which accept ink readily from a pen or typewriter and can be easily
erased.

Coated papers are used when high printing quality is desired
because of its greater surface smoothness and uniform ink receptivity.
There are many kinds: cast coated, gloss coated, dull coated, machine
coated, coated one- and two-sides, etc.

Text papers are noted for their interesting textures and
attractive colors. They enjoy frequent use for announcements, booklets
and brochures.

Offset papers are considered the most economical printing
papers. Offset papers may be used for directories, newsletters, books,
direct mail pieces with only a few photographs, and other printing
products requiring average quality.

Cover papers complement coated and text papers in heavier
weights and matching colors for use as covers on booklets, etc. Papers
are also made for cover purposes only. Many special surface textures are
available. Special characteristics of cover pages include dimensional
stability, durability, uniform printing surface, good scoring, folding,
embossing and die-cutting qualities. It is a useful rule of thumb that
cover stock of the same basis weight as text paper has about twice the
thickness.

Index papers have two outstanding characteristics—stiffness and
receptivity to writing ink. Index is commonly used whenever an
inexpensive stiff paper is required.

Tag is a heavy utility sheet. Tag board is sometimes tinted and
colored on one or both sides. Tag stock has good bending or folding
qualities, and a surface adaptable to printing, stamping, or writing.

Bristol is one of the board grades, with a softer surface than
index or tag, making it ideal for high-speed folding, embossing, or
stamping. It is very receptive to ink and has good snap and resilience.

Thursday, 26 July 2012

Choosing the right ink combinations can have a dramatic effect on your
finished product. Use this handy ink guide to help you make the correct
ink selection.

Black ink, as you might expect, is the most common and least expensive ink.

Spot colors and tints are printed with premixed inks. You can
choose from among thousands of different spot-color inks. A spot color
printed at 100% is a solid color and has no dot pattern. A tint is a
lightened spot or process color and is created by printing smaller
halftone dots of the base color.

Process colors are reproduced by printing overlapping dots
(halftone screens) of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK) inks.
Since CMYK inks are translucent, they absorb some colors and reflect
others. To create blue, for example, you combine cyan dots and magenta
dots. Your eyes merge the cyan and magenta dots to perceive the color
blue. Process (CMYK) printing gives us the ability to simulate
photographic images using just four basic ink colors.

Sunday, 15 July 2012

The emergence of digital and Internet technologies in recent years have brought about new printing trends that will forever change the printing industry. These printing industry trends have changed the way companies do business from the design to the printing phase of operations.
In Australia, the printing industry
has met these new printing trends with open arms as many have updated
their workflow and production strategies to meet the changing demands.
On the other hand, many of those who never made these important changes
have struggled because of the growing competition by non-print and
online media.

According to the Rochester Institute of Technology School of Print
Media, there has been a growing media competition considering the fact
that print advertising is driven by newspaper, magazine and periodical
revenues while "the Internet is chipping away at traditional media usage
and communication."

Friday, 6 July 2012

Postcards are one of the most effective components of a marketing
strategy and a really practical way to promote your business. Their main
purpose is to connect your company with the potential and existing
customers. However, postcards have to be designed well. They have to
effectively communicate with your target audience. Providentially, a lot
of postcard printing
trends have emerged. These postcard printing trends are in the service
of the company needs. At the same time, postcards are cost effective.
grabbing.

What include the good postcard printing trends? Firstly, they are in
full color because colorful postcards look attractive and vibrant. Not
surprisingly, they have a deeper impact on the minds of your potential
clients. Secondly, the standard size (of 4″ x 6″ ) has increased to
bigger ones, such as 6″ x 9″ or 7″ x 10″. This switch has provided the
postcards to be more stylish, so the companies are much more ready to
use them in these sizes. Maybe they will cost a little bit more than the
standard sized postcards but the benefits are undoubtedly higher. Also,
you can combine different sizes and find out what the consumers like
more.The next way of using postcards is as a coupon. Nowadays, there are
companies that use coupon postcards in order to promote their business.
The consumers can benefit from them because can receive a discount if
bring a coupon. At the same time it is good for the company because it
gets more traffic.
To conclude, many benefits from postcards can be accomplished both
for your company and for your clients. If you have a special event, a
big sale or only want to present your company in a few words, sending
postcards is a good solutions. It is easy, fast, effective and
attention-grabbing.

Sunday, 1 July 2012

As the New Year 2012 finds its space and some time to breathe in the
places which are still facing the conflicts. The age old tradition of
writing the books on paper using the pen is still followed among the
people who taught the world how to write the good and bad ideas to
present them well. A writer is forced by media to add spice to the
simple words. Whatever way you write, it has to sell and it has to find
its readers.
Worth of a writer cannot be decided by the publication house but it can
certainly put you off track. A writer waits to be known as an author.
Lots of writers spend good time figuring out what is worth of writing.
Unfortunately the media studies lead nowhere. I try to list the some of
the things which can make sense. The list below is without any claims
and of course if you consider them for serious writing; please consult
the research group of your publishing house which will run the
statistical tools to determine whether a book must be printed.

Friday, 22 June 2012

Smart printing,
that fulfils a particular need or niche, will survive the digital shift
into 2012 and beyond. I like to think that print will never disappear.
With many people spending their entire working day in front of a screen
or glued to their smartphone, easing the commute with a newspaper on the
Gautrain or relaxing in the bath with a book after a long day are some
of life's great luxuries.

Everyone's still talking about it...Two Sides Autumn Seminar,
held in London towards the end of 2011, reaffirmed the popularity of
print as an essential medium, citing print as 'the new cool' and having a
unique appeal.

Speakers talked about how important print is
and results from their surveys suggested the younger generation actually
preferred reading on paper than reading on screens!

Comfort factor

According to the November 2011 issue of Loyalty Magazine,
editors found that when they transferred their offering from print to
online, they received many concerned messages from readers who 'want to
be able to flick through and browse' the articles. Many readers
suggested that the online news service lacked the comfort factor of a
'real' magazine, so Loyalty decided to go retro and now publish a printed version three times a year.

We
here at PocketMedia Solutions are strong believers that print will
always be a reliable and innovative way to market your brand. As former
BBC online editor Ashley Highfield suggests, "The trick is to help move
those brands into the digital age and get the right balance between
print and digital." Print is a crucial component to any successful
marketing or advertising process.

Trends that We foresee in 2012

Chunky catalogues continuing to be replaced with small hand-held forms
of print communication in 2012, directing consumers to websites or being
used as quick reference guides.

Manufacturers finding
more ways to become efficient at a lower cost through workflow changes,
new equipment purchases and diversification.

More use of QR codes providing marketers with integrated marketing campaigns

More dynamic use of augmented reality, with print communication as the driver.

The continued growth of ambient media; we are always looking out for something new.

Shorter turn-around times - in print everyone wants everything yesterday; gone are the days of two week turn-around times.

All-in-one print mailing solutions became popular towards the latter half of 2011. I expect this trend to boom in 2012.

Return on investment - finding a marketing solution that consumers can keep offers a greater ROI for brands

For
the FMCG market, interactive bottle hangs are becoming popular and I
expect to see greater growth with this application in 2012 - especially
those that include a QR code or UFO, which opens to reveal a prize.

Sunday, 17 June 2012

Increased cross-media With the importance of online
as a media marketing tool, print has developed features to drive users
to your site, including the use of 2D bar-coding/QR Codes which can be
read by cell phones. This means that your Print advertising is not a
separate advertising option but part of a rich cross over marketing mix.
Print still has its own advantages over online and you can see how your
advertising campaign can benefit by getting the right mix. Look for
more innovations in cross-media as the entire marketing mix is viewed as
an interconnecting symbiotic whole.

Monday, 11 June 2012

Offset printing is a commonly used printing technique in which the inked
image is transferred (or "offset") from a plate to a rubber blanket,
then to the printing surface. When used in combination with the lithographic process, which is based on the repulsion of oil and water, the offset technique employs a flat (planographic)
image carrier on which the image to be printed obtains ink from ink
rollers, while the non-printing area attracts a water-based film (called
"fountain solution"), keeping the non-printing areas ink-free.
Development of the offset press came in two versions: in 1875 by Robert Barclay of England for printing on tin, and in 1903 by Ira Washington Rubel of the United States for printing on paper.

Wednesday, 6 June 2012

How many times have we thought twice before getting our business or visiting card designed? Have we ever thought that they are our first pitch towards getting new deal. Have we though how important they are for your business? Visiting cards are first impression of ours on others. Like we know that first impression is the last impression. Visiting cards can also sometimes bring in that effect. So next time you get your business card design, do keep following points in mind:

1. Include all important information.
2. Define your business.
3. Make it extraordinary.
4. Place a picture.
5. Use good quality paper.
6. Use right size.

Below is the collection of few of the visiting/business cards that are our favorites. Do let us know what you feel about these.

Sunday, 3 June 2012

You will be forgiven for making the assumption that business cards,
as we know them, were invented in the 1980s, the decade that corporate
was in the bandwagon list. Sorry to tell you, but you’d be wrong.
Business cards have been in use for many, many centuries. Almost as soon
as companies and individuals savvied-up to the idea of advertising
their services, business cards have been around. Here we take a quick
dash through the decades to look at the origins of that humble, yet
invaluable, 3.5 by 2-inch rectangle of card, tracing the development
from its invention back in the 15th century up to today’s examples –
which more often than not aren’t even made of a card!

Visiting cards

Experts tend to agree that the origins of the business card can be
traced back to China 15th century. They were known as ‘visiting cards’
and served as a calling card to announce one’s intention of meeting with
another individual. They could also be handed at the door of elite
establishments so that the owner of the establishment could decide if
permitting a meeting was worthwhile. Visiting cards were an essential
self-promotion tool of the upper classes, a personal advertisement and a
basis of forging an introduction.